The Eagles peppered their opponents’ goal with 36 shots during the contest, however they could only make one count and had to make the long journey back to south London with just a point for their efforts.
Things could have been worse for McCarthy’s youngsters as they fell behind after just five minutes when a corner was initially cleared but the visitors switched off, which allowed the Railwaymen a second bite of the cherry and they tucked home a tap-in from close range to snatch the lead.
From then on the Eagles dominated the game and created many dangerous moments, however they had to wait until 44 minutes to get on the scoresheet. After some good work pressing high upfield, Brandon Aviero won the ball and fed Rob Street, who saw his shot blocked on the line by a diving defender who rightly received a red card.
Showing plenty of courage having missed from the spot the week before, Street tucked home his third of the campaign already to level things up going into the second half, which would prove to be an annoying one for Palace as they did everything but score.
Despite boasting plenty of attacking talent, a combination of mis-placed shooting, an ability to play a killer final pass and some good goalkeeping ensured that the Crewe goal lived a charmed life, however the Eagles’ unbeaten start to the season continued as McCarthy continues to blood a number of under-17s at a higher age group.
Palace: Luthra, Russell, Onoabhagbe, Hanson, Chamberlain, Gurung (Ajayi 69), Boateng, Pierrick, Aviero (Donkin 65), Addy (Malcolm 73), Street. Subs not used: Watson, Matthews.